Active clinical trials for "Infections"

We wanted to determine the efficacy and the safety of caspofungin acetate (CANCIDAS®) in the treatment of invader fungal infection (IFI) specifically, Invasive Candidiasis (CI) in adults patients without neutropenia and Invasive Aspergillosis (AI) in adults patients who are refractory to or intolerant of other therapies (i.e., amphotericin B, lipid formulations of amphotericin B, and/or itraconazole).

This observational study will evaluate data from infants born to HIV infected mothers in order to better characterize disease progression in early HIV infection.

To conduct epidemiological, laboratory, and survey research on volunteer blood donors within the United States to ensure the safety and availability of the United States' blood supply.

The purpose of this study is to measure the immune response (how the body fights infection) to an experimental preparation of live Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). A better understanding of this virus may be useful in development of vaccines and treatments. Participants will include 20 healthy adults age 21-40. Study procedures will include drawing blood, urine samples, respiratory exams, vital signs and temperature, diary cards, nasal mucus weight and nasal washes and swabs. All participants will receive vaccine via nose drops. Patients will participate in the study for about 2 months.

This study will evaluate the reliability of a new test called Real-Time Polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) in detecting cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the blood and predicting the course of CMV disease in patients who have recently had a bone marrow transplant. The test's effectiveness will be compared with that of the "pp65 antigenemia assay" now routinely used for this purpose. CMV is a common virus that is transmitted from person to person by close personal contact. In most healthy people, CVM can remain in the body indefinitely without causing any harm. But, in people with weakened immune systems-including those who have just undergone bone marrow transplant-CMV infection can cause serious, and possibly fatal, complications. Drugs are available to treat this infection, however. Optimum treatment depends on early and accurate detection. Patients aged 10 to 80 years who are scheduled to undergo bone marrow transplant at the NIH Clinical Center as part of an NIH protocol may be eligible for this 2-phase study. In phase 1, patients will have blood drawn for both RT PCR and antigenemia testing once before the bone marrow transplantation and then weekly for the first 100 days after the transplant. During Phase 2-which begins immediately after the end of phase 1 and continues for one year after the transplant-blood samples for both tests will be drawn up to once a week. The samples for both tests will be collected at the same time and will be taken through a catheter (a thin flexible tube inserted into a vein) that has already been placed for the transplant study. RT PCR testing will require an extra 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) above what is needed for antigenemia testing, amounting to a maximum of about one-half pint extra over the course of the 1-year study. It is hoped that the new RT PCR test will prove to be more accurate in detecting CMV infection and predicting disease development, thus enabling doctors to plan early and effective treatment.

The main objectives of this study are: 1) to determine whether various levels of severity of oral candidiasis (thrush) in the child are associated with different levels of speech production, feeding skills, and self-concept, and 2) to assess the effect of the reduction of oral thrush over time on the speech function, feeding skills, and self-concept in HIV-infected patients who already are receiving various antifungal medications for treatment of their thrush (Note: Decisions regarding antifungal therapy are made completely independent from this study). Children with HIV disease, ages 6-21 years, who have oral thrush are eligible to paricipate in the study. The child and his/her parent will be asked to complete a variety of measures at specific time intervals over approximately one month during visits to the National Institutes of Health for treatment on other protocols. First, a nurse will rate the location and severity of thrush in the child's mouth. Then the parent will complete questionnaires assessing the effect of oral thrush on the child's feeding and speech skills and everyday functioning. Finally, the child will be administered a brief speech and oral-motor evaluation and will complete some questionnaires about how the thrush affects his/her day-to-day activities and self-concept. The results of this study may help to better understand the cause of expressive language deficits observed in some children with HIV infection. More specifically, it will determine if any speech and feeding problems of HIV-infected children are associated with oral thrush. Learning more about the impact of oral thrush on the speech, feeding, and the self-concept of children with HIV disease may be used for parent and patient education and to develop rehabilitative recommendations to benefit HIV-infected patients with oral thrush.

The purpose of this study is to see how HIV reacts in the immune systems of patients who have recently been infected with HIV. This study also examines HIV's resistance to anti-HIV drugs in newly infected patients. Certain populations are good candidates for participation in HIV vaccine trials. These groups include men who have sex with men, IV drug users, and women at risk of getting HIV through heterosexual contact. Learning how HIV behaves in these populations once they become infected can help with the planning of future HIV vaccine studies.

Some HIV-infected adults develop lipodystrophy that includes significant changes in body shape, with fat losses in the face, arms and legs, and fat gain in the trunk. This lipodystrophy is often accompanied by other disorders of metabolism, such as increased levels of fat and insulin in the blood. The majority of these cases have been seen when patients are taking medications called protease inhibitors. These are anti-retroviral medications designed to treat patients with HIV. It is unclear if lipodystrophy is a result of having HIV or the medication used to treat HIV. It has been suggested, but not proven, that lipodystrophy is a direct side effect of protease inhibitors. In addition, it is unknown if HIV-infected children develop significant lipodystrophy after taking protease inhibitors. This study will investigate the prevalence of metabolic disorders and changes in body fat distribution in children taking protease inhibitor anti-retroviral medications. The results will be compared to three other groups; (1) children suffering from other non-HIV chronic infections, (2) HIV-infected children not taking protease inhibitors, and (3) healthy children. The study will look at HIV-infected children who have already started taking protease inhibitors. It will evaluate these children for disorders in metabolism as well as body fat changes. In addition, the study will follow HIV-infected children who will begin taking protease inhibitors. The study will follow these children for 18 months to detect the development of disorders in metabolism and / or body fat changes.

This study will examine the effects of HIV on bone marrow cells. Various types of cells from bone marrow will be studied to learn which cells become infected with HIV, what changes occur in the number of or growth patterns of the cells, what kinds of proteins the cells make in the presence or absence of HIV and whether the cells can function normally. HIV-infected and non-infected individuals 18 years of age and older may participate in this study. Participants will undergo the following procedures: Blood draw: Blood will be drawn through a needle from a hand or arm vein. About 150 milliliters (10 tablespoons) will be collected each time. No more than 450 ml (30 tablespoons) will be taken over a 6-week period. Bone marrow aspirate: Bone marrow will be drawn from the hipbone. For this procedure, a local anesthetic is injected in the skin over the hipbone. A small needle is put about 1/2-inch through the shell of the bone and about 3 to 4 teaspoons of marrow are drawn from the cavity into a syringe. White cells from marrow of uninfected individuals may be infected with HIV in the laboratory and grown over time for study. Alternatively, uninfected cells may be used as controls to compare with cells from HIV-infected individuals. White cells from marrow of HIV-infected individuals will be grown in the laboratory and studied in comparison with cells from uninfected individuals. Or, bone marrow cells may be injected into immune-deficient mice to try to develop an animal model for HIV infection. White blood cells will also be studied in the laboratory to learn how the immune system responds to HIV infection.

This study will explore faster and easier ways to detect infection with the intestinal parasite Strongyloides stercoralis and learn more about the conditions under which it causes serious disease. Ordinarily, the Strongyloides helminth (type of intestinal worm) causes only few, if any, symptoms, but in people with weakened immunity it may be very serious, and even deadly. People between 5 and 80 years of age with known or suspected S. stercoralis infection, or infection with another helminth, such as filariasis, that might cause a cross-reaction with S. stercoralis may be eligible for this study. Participants found to be infected with S. stercoralis will be treated with ivermectin, thiabendazole, or albendazole. In addition, they will undergo the following tests and procedures: Blood tests and stool samples: Samples will be collected before and after treatment to check general health status and immune function, and to look for parasites in stool. Up to 50 milliliters (10 teaspoons) of blood will be drawn in adults and up to 25 ml (5 teaspoons) in children. Skin tests: A test similar to those used for tuberculosis and allergies will be conducted to determine if there is sensitization to products of the parasite. Such a test might be used as a rapid method to diagnose the infection. About three drops of several different antigens (proteins) are injected into the skin of the arm. After 15 to 20 minutes, the area is checked to see if a red spot has formed and, if so, the spot is measured.